Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) (47 page)

“What about trace and tox?”

Merry held up the papers with all the answers as she crossed the room. “We have some things you may like, and some you may not.”

“Okay, hit me,” she said.

“With Poppy Gauger, we found the same five samples of DNA that were on the first victims, but this one had a surprise mixed in.”

“What?” she asked.

“Another person had sex with her.”

Elizabeth stared at her. “What? You have a sixth semen sample now?”

“We found the swimmers of another male mixed in,” Merry stated. “It looks like one more joined the party at some point.”

Elizabeth simply stared at her husband. “What the hell, Ethan? He’s switching everything up at this point. I don’t even know where to begin with this one. There’s no way that those five frat boys could be the killer. They had our agents at the same time that the killer had the last victim.”

He was well aware. Ethan was just as befuddled on this one as his wife. For the first time, he was stumped.

They urged Merry to continue.

“As for tox, she was loaded up with the same drugs used to incapacitate the others.”

At least that remained the same.

“There’s more,” Merry stated.

“Okay, I can’t wait to hear this. It should be one hell of a discussion. I can’t imagine there’s more for you to drop on us,” she stated.

“Well, there is. Remember that single flake of dandruff that we found on Lori Denny?” she asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“It’s a perfect match to the semen found mixed into the five other samples.”

Well, that was shocking.

“So, we have our victims leaving the party, only to be poached by the killer,” she stated.

“True.”

“Now, we only have to figure out who it is,” Elizabeth stated, “and we have to do it with some sperm and a flake of dandruff. Yeah, that doesn’t seem insanely hard at all.”

Merry understood her frustration. “Welcome to my world.”

“Have we tested everything from the campus cop? I know you took DNA and everything else.”

“Not yet, Director. It’s slotted to be done today if you don’t deliver any more bodies. We’ve had to push everything else back to process the dead.”

Yeah, well, from her mouth to God’s ears.

“Is there anything else that I need to know about Poppy Gauger?”

“Well, the sex was pretty rough, but she’d just spend time with some frat boys, so I can’t tell where it started and ended. That’s going to go to the grave with our victim, until you can find the killer.”

“Okay, how about our newest victim? Do we have a name for her yet?”

Chris shook his head. “She didn't have any ID on her, so I don’t know if there was a missing person report filed.”

Elizabeth had a solution. “I’ll be heading back to the hospital in a little while to check on our agents, and I’ll ask Johanna. She should know her after living on that dorm floor for almost three weeks.”

While Chris wanted to ask how they were doing, he could see that the bosses were focused on the facts, and nothing less.

“This victim,” he said, moving the sheet to give the directors a better look.

“As you can see, she’s missing her uterus. While Page Pinel was obliterated there, this time, the killer was a little less messy. He left nothing behind.”

She stared at the bodies.

They were missing something. Her head was buzzing and she had that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“What else did he cut up on her?”

Chris shrugged. “Nothing. He cut open her pelvis, and that’s it. In fact, there was very little damage to her other than that.”

Again, this was new.

The killer was trying to keep them on their toes.

“Were there any samples left behind?” Ethan asked.

“Not from sex,” Chris stated, “but Merry found those expensive wool fibers again. They were all over her.”

So they had something at least.

“But he didn't mutilate any other part of her?” she asked one more time. She was still having a hard time believing it.

“No. He didn't. Maybe it was because he was in a hurry.”

That didn't work with her.

A killer did things for a reason.

A serial killer tended to be more methodical, and each move meant something—or at least that’s what she learned, the last few years, working with Ethan.

“Chris, pull all the girls out of the cooler and place them out in order. I want to see them side by side. I’ll be in with Agents Blaise and Flowers. That should give you plenty of time.”

He stared at her. “You really need to see them all laid out? That’s six women, Lyzee. I don’t have time to play around. We’re backlogged here.”

She gave him the look. “Do it, or you’ll have plenty of time on your hands when you’re collecting unemployment.”

He shut up.

Again, her face and voice held no humor. Apparently, she was dead serious.

“Get the bodies,” he said, as they left the room. “Make it fast. She’s in a bad mood and someone’s head is going to roll before this day is out. I’d prefer it be a killer’s and not any of ours.”

The tech team hustled.

They knew that today would be a bad day to piss off the boss.

A really bad day.

Inside the other room, she found her agents doing paperwork. One was still running the victims against anyone they had tagged as a suspect, and Jason was working on the transcript of the previous evening’s debacle.

“What do we have?” she asked, trying to keep calm.

“We have audio from last night. Do you want to hear it?” he said, turning his tablet around.

“Sure.”

He hit play, and for the next fifteen minutes, Elizabeth was horrified. It was quite obvious when Johanna had gotten into trouble, and instead of immediately calling in backup, Jason let her be taken.

While she was angry, Ethan looked three days past pissed—even Callen looked horrified.

All three of them were beyond irate. This was something that couldn’t, and wouldn’t, be tolerated.

While each of them were willing to risk themselves, none would ever let their partners get in trouble. You were supposed to always have their back.

It was obvious that Jason Blaise didn't rush in when he was supposed to, and for ulterior reasons. Had he, then Brody and Johanna wouldn’t be in hospital beds.

He’d risked two good agents, and that wasn’t something they took lightly.

How could they?

While they wanted to get angry, telling the man off, instead they continued listening. When they got to the part where Johanna’s com was picking up the confession, Elizabeth wanted to be sick.

What Jason Blaise risked was astronomical.

Their female agent was minutes from being sexually assaulted.

It was horrifying.

It was clearly heard over the com how they intended to rape her. Yet still, her partner did nothing. It wasn’t until the men were ready to hurt Brody that the other agent called for backup.

What pissed them off even more was that the man was a little too happy over the entire thing. He was actually beaming—like a child who received a really great present or one who got straight A’s on his report card.

Yeah, not exactly. 

Jason continued, “So, we have them admitting to drugging the women, and also having sex with them. Plus, with this recording, we also have them assaulting two Federal officers. They’re going away for a long time thanks to this undercover operation.”

Ethan was going to let Elizabeth handle this one. Out of the three of them, she could strike like a viper, and the victim wouldn’t even know it was coming.

This should be fun to watch.

If he dealt with this mess, he could see himself beating the man to a bloody pulp.

“That was a good plan,” she stated, trying to keep calm. “I like how you dangled the prey in front of the sharks, waiting for them to take a bite. You knew they’d implicate themselves, and you didn't want them to slip away.”

“Exactly.”

Heidi Flowers looked horrified.

She didn't know what he’d been planning, but she saw where this was going. Jason Blaise would have too, if he wasn’t so arrogant.

Shit!

They were in trouble.

“Agent Flowers, were you part of this?” Ethan asked.

She shook her head. “Not that part, sir. I was aware that Johanna was going to search the rooms. I wasn’t listening in on the com. I was doing searches.”

They believed her, since she had the common sense to look scared shitless. She obviously got it, unlike the smiling man beside her.

“Dismissed,” Elizabeth stated, watching her run from the room like she was on fire.

Jason Blaise actually looked confused. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“You risked their lives to close a case.”

He didn't argue that. “Yes, I did, and because of it, we now know that they were the ones who were drugging the women all along. With the new body, they’re eliminated from being the killer. My gamble paid off and in a big way.”

She wanted to punch him.

“Seriously? You let your partner be taken, nearly raped, and you’re thinking big shiny star for this? You can actually sit there with that dumb ass grin on your face, and not see the bigger picture?”

He stared at her. “My job is to get it done. I could hear Johanna the entire time, so she was completely safe. I did what I thought was right, since she was going in anyway. That was on her, but I had her back. When this opportunity came up, I knew it would work. Besides, Gabe gave me…”

She lost it.

The tirade in drawl tinged profanity began. It wasn’t often that she went over the edge like this, and maybe it was because she’d been a field agent who bled for the FBI before. She’d come close to being in a body bag a few times.

This was serious shit.

The men watched her walk back and forth, obviously trying to burn off her anger. Since the walls were concrete, she couldn’t punch anything.

This was all she had to try and burn off the mad.

Elizabeth Blackhawk wanted to pop his head off his shoulders, but instead, she knew a better way. While she’d miss out on making him bleed, there was a way to make him hurt even more. While Jason obviously didn't fear her, there was someone who’d have him shaking in his boots.

Pulling out her cell, she called Gabe on his private line. Since it was Sunday, he was probably hanging out with his kids and wife, trying to have a normal life.

Lucky him.

She wished she was at home and not buried in this mess.

“Lyzee, are you okay?” he asked, answering the phone on the second ring.

Immediately, she put him on speaker and told him about her two agents, the five frat boys, and how it all went down thanks to the ingenious plan of one sick agent who didn't understand that some things came before closing a case.

Ethan and Callen sat there grinning. The Dragon Slayer was about to go nuclear.

In three…

In two…

In…

“HE WHAT?” Gabe roared.

“Oh, it gets worse. He told me that his job was to get it done, and you gave him authority to do it. Since arriving here, he’s thought that I’m just here to play babysitter and not lead investigator. Can you clarify that for him?”

“Is he right there?” he asked.

“Yes, as is Ethan and Callen. We’re all a little confused as to what got into him. Cowboy and I were hired and trained under you, and we’re pretty confident that loyalty to your partner comes first, isn't that right?”

Gabe knew where she was taking it, and he probably deserved it after the Oracle mess.

“Yes, you’re absolutely right.”

“Well, then you need to handle him. We’re at a loss, Gabriel. Good luck.”

She took a seat and waited for it to go down. Gabe may have often hung them out to dry, but he’d never condone what went down.

“Agent Blaise, when I asked you to report back to me, it was simply that. I know that my directors get busy, and I had a personal interest in this one. I wanted eyes in there, not someone who would recklessly risk the lives of two agents to close a case. Director Blackhawk would have figured it out one way or another. She didn't need you setting up this clusterfuck to do it.”

Blaise actually blanched.

“Sir,” he began.

“Shut it. I want your gear packed, and I want your ass back here to Quantico by tomorrow morning.”

“But I work out of FBI West,” he stated.

There was maniacal laughter on the other end. “You used to work there. Now, you’re going to be my pet project. Ask them what happens to an agent I take a personal interest in. Trust me. You’re in for a very long year. I’m going to make sure you figure out the meaning of ‘
authority figure’
.”